I think that everyone in the community should be saying to Shire Councilors:  Congratulations and thank you for  setting up a Shire Committee to allow community representatives to participate in the future of the Cooma Visitors Centre (CVC).

Cooma has for a very long time financed with ratepayers money what was in essence the regional Visitors Centre for the Snowy Monaro Region.  However it appears now that the CVC  should be run on a different “Business Model”.

This is evidenced by the number of Letters to the Editor, Planning Papers, and other extensive comments from all over the place.  In addition the internet has radically changing how the potential tourist behaves.  We are told that now over 80% of tourists plan their trip on the internet beforehand. And that planning is really about what attractions what they would to experience, not just about for instance where to stay.

Then there are the retired people, the “grey mob”, who are travelling sometimes right around Australia in caravans  and one ton trucks with accommodation on board.  They are, it seems, coming in increasing numbers to the Monaro and the Snowy Mountains.  Thus good parking near our Visitors Centre has become much more important.

Changing the “Business Model” of the CVC is, of course,  not in anyway a reflection on those wonderful people who currently run the Centre.  They do a top job, and will be needed in any changes.

The Community Economic Development Committee (the Committee set up at the public Meeting called by Cooma Unlimited last year) has approved a planning paper on local tourist attractions which in part lists 13 Active attractions or destinations, 13 Passive attractions, and that is not counting  Village or Event attractions.  These figures do not include the Snowy Mountains, or the Bombala area.

As Tourism becomes more and more the major source of business activity for Cooma and in the region,  we need to reconstruct the Cooma Visitors Centre into the best Visitors Centre in Australia.

Yours

Dugald Mitchell OAM

Chairman Cooma Unlimited.